Cross-border Networking and Identity Integration among Ejigbo-Yoruba in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire

While it could seem logical for subjects of identifiable British and French West African states to intermingle freely, at least, on the bases of their respective; shared colonial experiences, the established precolonial mode of interaction has ostensibly outwitted such contemporary cleavages in most instances. This study essentially examines the effects of prevalent cross-border networking practices on Ejigbo-Yoruba migrants in Cote d’Ivoire; in measures of identity integration. The specific relevance of trans-border ethnic network in constructing a tenable identity for Ejigbo-Yoruba migrants within Ivorian social space is explored. The study’s specificities are situated within the confines of ‘social network’ and ‘social action’ postulates, while the research design routinely engaged the exploratory tradition. In all, the study surmises that identity positioning amongst Ejigbo-Yoruba migrants in Cote d’Ivoire is usually a product of ongoing interaction between ‘social space’ and ‘extant interest’, especially within the ‘host society’.